The Ring of My Dreams; or February's Purple Beauty

Hello February filled with snow, ice, cold and the color purple!

Ever since I was a little girl I have been wild about the sparkly magic of jewelry and gems {but maybe you already knew this about me}. One of my first vivid memories as a very young girl involves a purple gemstone. The memory is less about an event or story than it is about a feeling of adoration, beauty and awe. I must have been between 3-4 years old and I had a purple ring. It was really big, sparkly and the deepest translucent purple imaginable. The stone was held in place by a silvery metal. I adored this ring and needed to have it on my finger always. Its presence was a source of exquisite loveliness that would transmit a violet twinkle and flash to every corner of my bedroom ceiling if I held it in the light correctly. I believed it was enchanted with the power to attracted fairies, sprites and possibly unicorns! I would spend hours daydreaming about a mythical world where purple rings came from and that I was the princess who possessed them all. It was a good dream.

In the past I have wondered if such a splendid object was only alive in my daydreams. However, there is proof it was real because both mom and I remember a day we were going out to visit with friends, and as we were walking down the cellar stairs to the garage I glanced at my hand on the rail-my purple ring was missing! We must have been late because it was told I produced some dramatic whining to convince my mother the purple ring was an essential element of our visit. I was allowed to go back to my room to retrieve my precious treasure and the day was saved.

This resplendent jewel was the fulcrum around which my imagination turned and truthfully, still does! When I design, I sometimes go to a mythical world where purple rings with the power to attract fairies are made and anything is possible. I imagine a person in that world and what jewelry she would wear, then I create it. Maybe artists never outgrow that primal place of vivid imagination or maybe it’s just me; longing for the days of innocent childhood play that extends into dreams and into jewels...

The hard cold truth about my beloved ring is much more mundane than any fantasy I created. That purple ring was a plastic and base metal trinket acquired from a grocery store gumball machine. It was indeed my equivalent to the ultimate childhood toy-the cardboard box. Now, sadly, it’s long gone. Sometimes I wonder what it would look like to my adult self. It’s probably a good thing I’ll never know-no reason to crush a little girls’ dream!

Regardless of its origin, that purple ring and I have covered a lot of creative territory. I am ever grateful for its dreamy violet inspiration. And it just so happens that purple is the color of my very own birthstone! I’m a February baby, Ground Hog’s Day to be exact, the month of the amethyst. {Interested in the history of birthstones? I wrote about that in my blog for January’s stone, the garnet. Click HERE to read it.}

Amethyst is a member of the quartz family. It is a fairly common stone and is found all over the world. I was once gifted an ocean tumbled amethyst geode from my friend Susan who found it on the shores of Passamaquoddy Bay in Eastern Maine. Thank you Susan, I still treasure your gift!

Once thought more valuable than diamonds, the amethyst has historically been associated with the qualities of protection and sobriety. In fact, the direct translation of the Greek word for the gem, “amethystos” is “not drunken" (from Greek a-, "not" + methustos," intoxicated).

European royals associated the color purple with their privileged social status and adorned themselves with large amethyst necklaces, rings and regalia. Queen Mary of Britain (1867-1953) was known for her flair to layer many pieces of jewelry and once owned the jewels in this picture. You can read about the history of this Parure (a set of jewelry intended to be worn together)of amethyst jewels which belonged to Queen Mary, just click the image below:

Some other meanings associated with amethyst:

Sobriety

Temperance

Intuition

Creativity

Spirituality

Piety (once known as the Bishop’s Stone)

Passion

Connection to the divine

Strengthen the bonds of love

Healing

Calm

Meditation

Wisdom

Understanding

Logical thought

Eternity

Release from sorrow

Overcome difficulty

If you love wearing amethyst jewelry this is the perfect season to put it on, so adorn yourself! And if you need an amethyst to add to your jewelry wardrobe, EMAIL ME, I'll make a jewel for you, and I promise it won’t be purple plastic-lol!

Thanks for reading to the end! If you enjoyed this post and want to be my jewelry friend, join my email list HERE {not to worry, I’m too busy making jewelry to ever send you spam mail}.

May your February be filled with happiness, warmth and a vibrant purple glow!